How medical device supply chains keep hospitals supplied | GPLS 2026
The surgeon is ready. The operating theatre is ready. Implants are available, but the patient's required size is missing. This scenario opened Business Session 7 at the Global Pharma Logistics Summit 2026 in Mumbai, moderated by Libin Chacko Kurian of STAT Publishing Group. The discussion explored how demand forecasting, inventory planning and logistics come together to get the right medical device to the patient.
“You cannot put a different size to a different patient,” says Gaurav Bhatia, VP – Global Supply Chain Head, Sahajanand Medical Technologies. With stents spanning 88 sizes, he explains why statistical forecasting, SKU classification, sales and operations planning (S&OP), and clearly defined stock norms are essential. But forecasts cannot be completely accurate. Supply agility, resilience and visibility must support the plan, particularly when an urgent cardiac procedure leaves little time to respond.
For Chirayu Deolekar, Senior Supply Chain Manager, B. Braun Group, availability also depends on securing transport capacity when e-commerce demand fills hubs and warehouses. “We also need to give better prices to patients,” he says, explaining the pressure to keep freight costs under control. He describes how a fourth-party logistics (4PL) partner, digital visibility and regional warehouses helped raise service levels from around 70–75% to nearly 95–96%. The conversation also examines temperature control during airport handovers, data loggers, reefer fleets and the need for better handling knowledge for medical equipment.
Planning takes a different form for knee and hip implants, where the final size may only be confirmed inside the operating theatre. Anith Sankaran, Vice President & Head of Supply Chain Management, Shalby MedTech, explains a multi-layer forecasting model covering surgery numbers, SKU-level demand and execution. Surgery planning one or two days before the procedure helps hospital and distributor teams ensure the required implants are available.
That preparation extends to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), whose capacity, procurement and manufacturing lead times must feed into material requirements planning (MRP). “It’s not about their problem; it is our problem,” Anith says, describing the collaborative approach needed to build a reliable supply chain.
Toward the end, Hanoz Tarapore asks from the audience how orthopaedic surgical kits are planned, returned and replenished after use. Anith explains that a knee and hip instrument set can contain about 150 SKUs, including consumables that need replenishment. A surgery planner links upcoming procedures to implant and instrument requirements, much like a bill of materials, bringing instrument management and implant management together.
